Buoyancy control jacket for underwater activity with horseshoe-shaped inflatable twin bag

ABSTRACT

Buoyancy control jacket for underwater activity provided with an inflatable bag having two arms in the shape of a U or a horseshoe made up of an outer bag and an inner air tube. In the vicinity of the ends of the two arms of the outer bag of the jacket there are two relatively short openings that extend approximately along the directrices of the said outer bag, each opening having a robust zip giving access to the interior of the said jacket. Advantageously, the said openings extend along a region located between the ends and the centre line of the lateral arms of the jacket, on the rear part of the jacket.

BACKGROUND AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0001] The present invention relates to buoyancy control jackets for underwater activity, and more especially to buoyancy control jackets of the type provided with an inflatable bag in the shape of a horseshoe, that is having two parallel arms joined together into a U by an intermediate section of bag.

[0002] More particularly, the present invention relates to buoyancy control jackets with a horseshoe-shaped bag containing at their interior a second bag acting as an inner air tube, so called “twin bag”.

[0003] In order for the bag forming the inner air tube to be able to be inserted inside the outer covering bag, the latter is provided with a long zip running all the way around the perimeter of the U of the outer bag.

[0004] However, it is well known that very long zips are a point of weakness, especially as it is not possible, for this purpose, to use zips that are too large and robust as they would make the bag of the jacket too stiff. In this type of jacket, therefore, this zip is often a serious problem.

[0005] The object of the present invention is therefore to obviate these problems of the jackets according to the prior art.

[0006] In accordance with one characteristic of the present invention, this object is achieved by providing, in the vicinity of the ends of the two arms of the outer bag of the jacket, two relatively short openings that extend approximately along the directrices of the said bag, each opening having a robust zip giving access to the interior of the said bag.

[0007] Advantageously, when in use, the said openings are located in the rear lateral region of the device, so that they lie alongside the bottle attached to the backpack of the jacket, that is in a sufficiently protected region.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0008] Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent in the course of the following description of a preferred embodiment thereof made with reference to the accompanying drawing, in whcihch FIG. 1 shows a buoyancy control device in accordance with the invention in plan view from the rear side.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION

[0009] With reference to the drawing, the number 1 denotes a backpack to which the jacket 2 is connected. As illustrated, this jacket is of the double-bag horseshoe type (so called twin-bag, that is comprising an outer bag 3 enclosing in turn an inner air tube 4. Both the outer bag 3 and the inner air tube 4 have two lateral arms 102, 202 joined at the top by a section 302 so as to form a structure whose profile in plan view is that of a U or horseshoe.

[0010] Shown at 5 is a portion of the belt for attaching an air bottle (not shown) to the backpack, while the number 6 indicates the relief valves connected to the inner air tube 4 which can be used when necessary to dump from this bag 4 the air injected into it via a supply valve (not shown) connected to a bottle of compressed air.

[0011] The outer bag 3 of the jacket 2 is provided, in a region thereof located between the ends and the centre line of the lateral arms 102 and 202, on the rear part of the jacket, that is to say on that part which during use surrounds the bottle (not shown) attached to the jacket, with two zips 7.

[0012] As illustrated, these zips are relatively short, especially when compared with the zips of the prior art which run all the way around the perimeter of the U of the jacket, and since they lie on rectilinear sections of the jacket of the jacket, and therefore on sections which do not suffer from excessive stiffness introduced by the zips 7 themselves, these zips can be made with the desired and necessary robustness.

[0013] It will be obvious that by opening said zips it will be possible to introduce in an easy manner the air tube 4 into the bag 2, by passing it all the way along the jacket from one end to the other thereof, while through the zips it is possible to proceed to the connection of the relief valves 6 and the air admission valve (not shown) to the air tube. 

We claim:
 1. Buoyancy control jacket for underwater activity provided with an inflatable bag provided with two arms in the shape of a U or horseshoe made up of an outer bag and an inner air tube, in which in the vicinity of the ends of the two arms of the outer bag of the jacket there are formed two relatively short openings that extend approximately along the directrices of the said bag, each opening having a robust zip giving access to the interior of the said bag.
 2. Buoyancy control jacket according to claim 1, in which the said openings extend along a region located between the ends and the centre line of the lateral arms of the said jacket, on the rear part of the said jacket. 